Press release

Christie and PI Turn the Wheels on BMW’s New Electric Cars

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SANTIAGO, Chile - (April 28, 2015) - The Chilean AV engineering company Proyección de Ideas (PI) created a breathtaking projection mapping on two cars for the official launch in Chile of BMW’s new i3 and i8 models. Six Christie 1DLP® technology projectors and the Christie Spyder X20 video processor brought the vehicles to life in an exciting experience full of movement and visual effects.

Held at its new corporate building in Santiago, Chile, BMW officially launched its i3 (electric Citycar) and i8 (first plug-in hybrid sports car) models, the first in the automobile company’s new "i" sub-brand of sustainable, plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles with a premium finish. The launch was a private event for which BMW invited approximately 100 top dealers and suppliers.

Altavisión, the producers of the event, came up with an idea for video mapping on the cars themselves, based on the concept of highlighting the design of the new vehicles and emphasizing the new technology. It was at this stage they brought on board PI, an AV company with headquarters in Santiago, Chile, with over a decade of experience creating the country’s most spectacular monumental projections and mappings.

PI immediately got down to the meticulous preproduction work required, including a prior detailed study of the physical architecture of the place and the visual angle of the spectators, paying particular attention to the throw position of each individual projector. The mapping was screened on the vehicles and on the background behind them, accounting for a total area of 9.15 meters long by 3 meters high. Some projectors were fitted to the ceiling and others were positioned frontally, all on truss structures.

AV Content by Proyección de Ideas, Delivery via Christie

The AV content projected over the cars was developed by PI and consisted mainly of abstract elements that enhanced the design of the vehicles. At the same time, videos, effects and information on the new cars were screened on the background. With a resolution of 1920 by 1080 and a 16:9 aspect ratio, the video mapping lasted approximately four minutes and was repeated at various times throughout the day.

The projectors used were the Christie DHD800 using 1.2:1 to 1.8:1 lenses.

“The DHD800 affords high quality projection, enables us to work quickly and is really versatile, especially in enclosed spaces,” said Marco Gajardo, CTO at Proyección de Ideas. “The weight and size make it really easy to handle, which is what you’re looking for when you’re working with complex emplacements. Among its many functions, I would underscore the lens shift, blending and zoom features that mean that we can make adjustments with greater precision, which is absolutely crucial for the highly demanding standards we expect from all our projects. The truth is that we can rely on it 100 percent. And at this event in particular, we tested its performance to the max and I can safely say that we didn’t find it wanting.”

To power the content, they used two mamboPlayers, the media server developed by Proyección de Ideas’s software engineering department, as well as a Christie Spyder X20 video processor to relay the signals and to incorporate CCTV.

“The Spyder X20 guarantees us great versatility and offers us loads of possibilities to make our projections more dynamic, with highly interesting features such as PIPs and key frame effects,” said Gajardo. “It also allows us to mix a lot of sources in multiple windows and edge blend really simply and easily.”

About Christie

Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual and audio technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Visit www.christiedigital.com.